Page 26 of Mocha Kisses

I hold back my first reaction—agitation—because I know Ellen is coming from a place of love, however, navigating this new thing between us is going to be tricky. Small towns like Spring Haven talk and Luna and Griffin have history. Adding me and Nova into the mix is going to be messy. Tongues will wag. I’m not sure if I care. “Yes, it’s very nice, Ellen. She stopped in this morning for coffee.”

Ellen raises an eyebrow as if she doesn’t believe me. No doubt Ms. Elrod mentioned that Luna didn’t return last night. God, these ladies and their gossip are going to be the death of us. “Isn’t she the sweetest thing?”

I nod and package up the muffin, trying to hurry Ellen up so that I don’t have to continue this conversation. Maybe Luna isn’t the only one who needs to talk. I need some clarification on what she truly wants and where the lines are drawn. I can’t fall again without some assurances and while I know Luna won’t purposefully hurt me, after my ex? I’m not willing to take the chance.

Ellen leaves with a wave and I sigh only for my phone to ring. A quick glance and I notice the number without even reading the caller ID. Fuck. I’m tempted not to answer but that never goes well with jobs like these.

“Yeah?”

“Don’t sound so excited to pick up my call, brother.”

I grit my teeth together. “Because I’m not. You and the rest of the family bring trouble. But if I don’t pick up the call, you always ruin something for me. So this is me listening to whatever bullshit you have to say.”

“Got a job for you.”

“I told you I quite like making cinnamon rolls.”

Devilish laughter spills through the earpiece and I grunt, pounding my fist into a nearby ball of dough. “No need for the emotional outburst, brother. You’re the best one we have. A charmer. We need you on this one.”

They never need me. One step in the wrong direction and I’ve never been able to separate myself from the ‘family’ business. At this point, the only family left is my brother. Everyone else has migrated in and out, choosing their own paths. I can’t seem to break ties no matter how many times I’m told that this is the last job.

“Not interested.” Something I’ve said far too many times to count but it’ll be ignored.

“You don’t have a choice. You owe a debt—this is paying it off.”

“No, brother, I owe you a fucking favor and this is way beyond that.” I step toward the back as my voice raises. No one in Spring Haven has a clue where I came from. I’m just my father’s son, picking up his legacy and bringing new pastries and coffees to this sleepy town. No one has any idea that I have bounty hunter in my blood, but that my skills rely on charming people and sucking them in until they don’t know they’ve been caught. My code name? Snake.

I fucking hate it.

The favor I owe my brother is equivalent to someone giving a ride to the train station or copying one’s homework, not picking up an entire job.

“I’ve sent you his picture. Keep an eye out. Heard the merchandise might be in your neck of the woods and this guy will be drawn right to it like flies on honey.”

It’s making more sense now. I hadn’t found an out. They let me keep this slice of heaven because it was where they needed me to be.

“Don’t say I never did anything for you. You liked your step-father more than the rest of us, so cherish it.” My brother hangs up and I pull the phone away to stare at the screen.

It’s an older gentleman that I’ve never seen before, a full head of hair, dulled brown eyes, and a mean mug that tells me he’s been through the wringer a few times. As per usual, my brother leaves out all the important details like a name, what he did, or anything I’d need to know to complete the job in an attempt for me to call back.

I’ll let the job stew for a little and focus on the new bit of sunshine in my life.

The door swings open, creaking on its hinges and I look up to see Nova stalking toward me. Those baby blues are about three shades darker and the tick in his jaw tells me that someone’s pissed him off. In this moment, he looks more like the enforcer that he used to be rather than the lawyer he’s become. I suppose being out of a suit and the fact that his sleeves are rolled up showing off every bit of ink helps support that ruthless image too.

“What’s up?” I ask calmly. Weathering my own emotions will ensure that Nova relaxes. We feed off each other at times and I’d rather not have a Nova-sized meltdown in the café or in Spring Haven. “Nova.”

“Can’t find a damn thing about her family. No idea where her mother skipped off to. Don’t even know if her father was working with someone or if he just took out a bad loan. John Williamson is definitely an alias.” Nova’s furious, I can tell that much but without any information, there’s not much we can do. “I’m hoping Luna has a few more details for me because right now? Kind of at a dead end.”

“You’re really worked up about this.” I start kneading the dough, wanting the day to pass so I can wander over to the office and gather her in my arms. It’s been a fucking day and I can’t stop thinking about her. I’m losing it.

“Fin called me during lunch.” He plops down onto one of the bar stools, growling at his inability to easily solve the problem. “Why are you looking at me like that? No, I didn’t go over there. Told him where to find the enchiladas. They need to figure things out without me breathing down Fin’s neck.”

That makes sense even if I call bullshit.

“So, what now?”

“We protect her.”

I laugh. “You know she doesn’t trust that. She also doesn’t know us.”

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